Soft drink distributor to open

Company moving from Craig, plans to start business Monday

Hayden  The new Coca-Cola distributorship in Hayden is set to open for business Monday.

The building, a satellite sales center for Coca-Cola Bottling Company High Country in Rapid City, S.D., will replace the current site in Craig.

The company's space will increase from 5,500 square feet in the existing building to 25,000 in the new one, Sales Manager Steve Mudge said.

"It's going to be awesome," he said.

The new sales center is on the eastern side of town near the Hayden Cemetery. The move has been in the works for three years, and construction has taken about a year, Mudge said.

The sales center serves an area from Maybell to the Winter Park ski area, north to Walden and south to Yampa and Oak Creek, he said.

"We service Granby and Winter Park out of this facility, and we just needed more room," Mudge said. "The building we were in was dated and rather small."

The company aims to sell its building in Craig and started moving to the new spot Thursday. A ribbon-cutting is set for 10 a.m. Tuesday.

Most employees will commute from Craig, Mudge said. He could not confirm whether the new building would result in more jobs.

"There possibly probably is going to be," he said.

Mudge said he was looking forward to the move.

"It's going to be quite exciting to have a brand-new facility," he said. "Everything is brand new. The only thing we're taking from the other facility is the trucks and the basic equipment. : We'll start out with a fresh start."